What Causes Canker Sores and the Best Way to Treat Them

You’ve probably experienced canker sore so far in your life, right? You know that these small, white lesions can make your life really difficult sometimes. They can appear anywhere inside the mouth, including the gums, tongue and inside of the lips. Eating food and drinking can be quite difficult for a week or even more.

Do you really know what Canker Sores are? We can answer that for you. They are little white, red-bordered, slightly-cratered sores inside of your mouth, which can make your life really difficult sometimes. In the Medical science they are known by different scary names, such as: aphthous, stomatitis or arphthous ulcers.

Some people are more likely to get them than other people. You should also know that women are more sensitive to canker sores than men. But, there is good news about canker sores. They are not infectious compared to cold sores, so you can’t spread them to other people or other parts of your body.

The most important question is: What causes Canker Sores? They can be caused by many reasons, such as: allergies, stress, gluten sensitivity, hormonal changes; injury to the mouth, dental work, vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Canker sores usually heal without any medical treatment. It usually takes a week or two.

But experts recommend consulting your healthcare professional if:

A canker sore bleeds, oozes, or crusts over.

You experience fever or severe, long-lasting pain.

Your canker sore is unusually large and persistent.

You suffer frequently recurring canker sores, which may suggest an underlying disease.

Canker Sore Remedies You can choose from a variety of prescription and over-the-counter products to soothe the pain and accelerate healing. I suffered a series of painful canker sores last winter, before dicovering my increased intake of walnuts as the culprit.

My favorite natural remedy: a soothing cup of warm sage/chamomile tea, swooshing it around as a mouthwash while I sipped.

It also can help to blot your sores with milk of magnesia a few times a day.

To find relief from pain, let some ice chips dissolve in your mouth. Also, be sure to use a very soft toothbrush and try a sensitive toothpaste, nothing abrasive.

* Don’t confuse canker sores with cold sores. Cold sores (“fever blisters”), caused by the herpes simplex virus, occur on the outside of the mouth, typically on or around the lips. Often brought on by stress or hormonal changes, they appear as red, painful, fluid-filled blisters that are highly contagious.